Scam Pac Operators Raided by FBI

AUBURN, AL- Political consultants make for an easy punching bag. They make big money, but the connections to insiders and a perceived preference of financial gain over principles make the industry one of the nation’s most hated.

There is a segment of the industry, however, that has become even more reviled- those that use their political connections to operate fraudulent PACs. While what a candidate chooses to pay a consultant is their business, those who run “scam PACs” are preying on activist voters- attempting to mislead and confuse.

One such example came during Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign. A PAC run by Strategic Campaign Group was formed under the auspices of helping the Republican nominee for Governor of Virginia. They raised money from Cuccinelli supporters- leading many to believe that they were associated with the campaign.

But, Cuccinelli’s campaign never benefitted from the funds raised.

After his loss, Cuccinelli sued the Strategic Campaign Group and was awarded $85,000. Now, the FBI has taken the step of raiding the Annapolis, MD-based firm.

Cuccinelli himself had this to say: “This is a political fundraising swamp. The scam PACs are real and they exist all over the country and they pray on people’s intense feelings about politics.”

He added, “They go out and ride the back of [Wisconsin Gov.] Scott Walker, Mitt Romney when he was running for president, Allen West for Congress, our race for the governorship. They pick whatever does the best for fundraising that year and they ride it. They pay themselves consultant fees, they spend single-digit percentages on politics – donating to candidates, doing A, B, or C that might actually move the political ball forward – and all the rest of it is just to run the system, to raise the money and to pay themselves and their vendors and so forth.”[1]